Trauma Treatment & Evaluation in Austin and Surrounding Areas
Living with trauma can feel like your body keeps a private calendar of danger your mind can’t erase. A sound, a smell, a tone of voice—and suddenly your chest tightens, your thoughts scatter, and you’re back in a moment you never asked to revisit. You might go numb in conversations, over-apologize, scan rooms for exits, avoid places you used to love, or replay interactions to make sure you were “safe.” Time gets strange: minutes stretch, days blur. You’re tired from bracing. You want your life to feel like yours again.
What most people miss: trauma isn’t just a “bad memory.” It’s a lived alarm system that can show up as perfectionism, people-pleasing, irritability, trouble sleeping, startle responses, or feeling disconnected from your own body. None of that means you’re broken—it means your nervous system learned to protect you. If this describes you, reach out. I’ll meet you where you are and help you steady the alarms so you can feel safe, present, and at home in your life again.
Understanding Trauma
Plain-English definition: Trauma is the emotional and psychological response to deeply distressing events that overwhelm your ability to cope. It’s not just the event itself, but how your mind and body process it.
Beyond stereotypes: Trauma isn’t only tied to single, dramatic incidents. It can be the result of ongoing experiences such as emotional neglect, chronic stress, or unhealthy relationships. Adults often dismiss their own trauma because it “wasn’t as bad” as someone else’s — but your nervous system doesn’t compare notes; it reacts to what it perceives as overwhelming.
Common symptoms include:
Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected
Overreacting to minor stressors
Avoiding reminders of the event(s)
Trouble with trust and intimacy
Difficulty concentrating or sleeping
Why it’s often missed or misunderstood: Many people adapt so well to functioning “around” their trauma that they don’t recognize how much it’s still influencing their decisions, relationships, and physical health.
My Diagnostic Process
Comprehensive intake — understanding both the events and your current symptoms.
Evidence-based assessments — tools to identify trauma-related responses and patterns.
Differential diagnosis — clarifying whether symptoms stem from trauma, anxiety, depression, or other conditions.
Personalized plan — going beyond labels to address the root causes and promote healing.
Treatment Tailored to You
Therapy approaches: Trauma-focused CBT, EMDR, and mindfulness-based therapies to help reprocess and integrate experiences.
Medication support: When needed, to manage anxiety, depression, or sleep issues tied to trauma.
Lifestyle strategies: Grounding techniques, nervous system regulation, and resilience-building routines.
Ongoing adaptation: Your treatment evolves with you, supporting both immediate relief and long-term recovery.
Why My Practice is Different
Most online information about trauma is either too vague or too clinical to be useful in real life. I believe in giving you practical, actionable tools from day one so you:
Understand how trauma affects your mind and body
See the full spectrum of healing options
Start feeling more in control before you even book your first full session
Actionable Steps You Can Take Today — Trauma
1) Immediate safety first
If you feel at risk of harming yourself or others, or you’re in danger: get to a safe place and contact local emergency services. In the U.S., call/text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Make a mini safety plan on your phone: 1) my warning signs, 2) three people I can contact, 3) places I can go, 4) steps that calm my body (see below).
Reduce access to anything that could be used impulsively when overwhelmed.
2) Grounding that works in 60 seconds
Orienting loop: look around and name out loud 5 things you see, 4 you feel (feet in shoes, chair on legs), 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste.
Where/when statement: “My name is __. I am in __. The date is __. I’m safe enough right now.”
Temperature reset: cool water on wrists/face or hold a cold bottle for 30–60 seconds to lower arousal.
3) A quick protocol for flashbacks/intrusions
Name it: “This is a memory/alarm, not a current threat.”
Anchor your body: press feet into the floor; push palms into a wall for 10–20 seconds; feel the solidness.
Find one safe object: hold and describe it in detail (weight, edges, color). Keep this “anchor” with you.
Breathe on the exhale: inhale 4, exhale 6–8, for 1–2 minutes.
4) If you start to dissociate (numb, floaty, unreal)
Opposite sensations: sip something cold, chew mint gum, splash cool water.
Heavy + present: weighted blanket or firm self-hug; stomp gently; say the alphabet backward by 3s.
Butterfly tap: cross arms over chest and tap shoulders left-right for 30–60 seconds at a slow, steady pace.
5) Work within your Window of Tolerance
Green (steady): do regular life; schedule a small joy.
Yellow (activated/numb): use quick grounding, shorten to-do list, lower stimulation (lights, noise).
Red (overwhelmed): step away, breathe, safe-text someone, delay big decisions.
6) Daily nervous-system “micro-regulations”
3 resets: 2 minutes mid-morning, mid-afternoon, before bed—slow breathing, gentle stretch, short walk, or eyes-closed music.
Longer exhale rule: any breath style that makes the exhale longer than the inhale calms the system.
Vocal vagal: hum, quietly sing, or read out loud for 2 minutes (vibration helps downshift arousal).
7) Map your triggers & write tiny “if–then” plans
List your top 5 triggers (places, sounds, dates, smells).
For each: If I encounter X, then I will (step outside + 4/6 breathing; text 🟡 to a friend; switch seats; play a grounding song).
Identify exits before events: where you could step away for two minutes.
8) Gentle, bite-size re-entry (not exposure marathons)
Choose one mild cue and pair it with grounding for 2–5 minutes; stop before overwhelm > 6/10.
Celebrate tolerated minutes, not perfection. The goal is reclaiming inches of life safely and consistently.
9) Boundaries create felt safety
Make a Green/Yellow/Red list of people/topics. Green = supportive; Yellow = limited time/subjects; Red = off-limits right now.
Scripts you can use:
“I’m not discussing that today.” · “I need a break; I’ll circle back later.” · “Please don’t __; it’s not helpful.”
10) Body-based tension release that won’t spike adrenaline
Pendulate: notice a tense area → shift attention to a neutral/pleasant sensation (hands warm, soft fabric) → go back and forth.
Shake it out: hands, arms, legs for 30–60 seconds; then stillness for 30 seconds and notice the difference.
Positions that soothe: child’s pose with slow exhale; lying on back with lower legs on a chair; gentle side stretch.
11) Support your physiology (it helps your psychology)
Steady fuel: eat every ~3–4 hours; include protein + complex carbs + fluids to avoid adrenaline spikes.
Caffeine & alcohol: lower both while symptoms are high; they can amplify anxiety, sleep disruption, and lows.
Sunlight + movement: 5–10 minutes of morning light and a brief walk can reset circadian rhythm and mood.
12) Sleep protection (and nightmares)
Predictable wind-down: same 30–60 minute routine nightly; dim lights; no doomscrolling.
Nightmare tweak: write the nightmare, change the ending to a safer outcome, and read the new version midday for a week.
Keep a grounding item at bedside (stone, scarf, photo) and a prewritten where/when statement.
13) Media & environment hygiene
Curate inputs: mute violent/graphic content and accounts that spike you; add two calming feeds (nature, comedy, crafts).
Sensory anchors: a calming scent, playlist, or lamp you only use when you want your nervous system to associate “safe enough.”
14) Tiny connection beats isolation
Choose two people you can message with a simple code (🟡 = “check in when free”). Ask for specific help: “Can you stay on the phone for 5 minutes after I get home?”
Join one low-stakes community activity (library talk, maker meetup, gentle class) where showing up is enough.
15) A simple tracker that doesn’t overwhelm
Each evening, jot SUDS (stress 0–10), one trigger you noticed, and one thing that helped (even 1%). Patterns > perfection.
16) Prepare for anniversaries and high-risk days
Mark dates that tend to spike symptoms; plan lower-demand schedules, a safe person, a comforting meal, and a short ritual (candle, letter you don’t send, meaningful place).
17) When shame shows up
Speak to yourself in the second person: “You’re having a normal trauma response. You’re not broken; your system is trying to protect you.”
Place a hand on your chest; slow your exhale; keep the statement short and believable.
18) After tough moments, close the loop
Ask: What triggered it? What helped even a little? What will I try first next time? Write a two-line plan in your notes.
Do one comforting action (warm shower, safe show, tidy one surface) to signal “episode is over.”
19) Practical workplace/school accommodations (self-advocated)
Request predictable breaks, a seat near an exit, or permission to step out briefly without explanation.
Use noise management (headphones, white noise) and keep a grounding object at your desk/bag.
20) Know your red flags and next steps
Red flags: escalating substance use to cope, self-harm urges, weeks of near-zero sleep, or inability to perform basic self-care.
If these appear, prioritize medical evaluation and professional support promptly. In the U.S., 988 is available 24/7 for immediate help.
Trauma Often Comes with Company
Trauma frequently overlaps with depression, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and chronic physical symptoms like headaches or digestive issues. Treating trauma effectively means addressing the full picture, not just the memories.
Serving Central Texas and Beyond
I provide trauma treatment for clients in:
Austin, Barton Creek, Bastrop, Bee Cave, Bertram, Blanco, Briarcliff, Brushy Creek, Buda, Burnet, Cedar Park, Circle C, Creedmoor, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Great Hills, Hays, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Jonestown, Jollyville, Kyle, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Leander, Liberty Hill, Lockhart, Luling, Manor, Marble Falls, Martindale, Meadowlakes, Mountain City, Mustang Ridge, New Braunfels, Niederwald, Pflugerville, Point Venture, River Place, Rollingwood, Round Rock, San Marcos, Smithville, Steiner Ranch, Sunset Valley, Taylor, The Domain, The Hills, Thrall, Volente, Webberville, Weir, West Lake Hills, Wimberley, Woodcreek, Zilker, and throughout all of Texas!